South Africa fast bowler Shabnim Ismail announced her retirement from International Cricket at the age of 34. Ismail has taken 317 wickets in 241 games across all three formats of the game. She said she had made the difficult decision to move on to the next chapter of her life. She now joins Lizelle Lee and Dane van Niekerk in retiring from the South Africa squad in the last 12 months.

Read Also: Babar and Fakhar at No.1 & 2, Gill at 4: Asian batters dominate the new ICC ODI Batting rankings 

Shabnim Ismail Announces Retirement

Ismail is set to play for Welsh Fire in The Hundred this summer. She said she is looking forward to continuing to perform at the highest level over the next few years. The right-armer Ismail is one of the fastest in the women's game. She has taken three wickets in one Test, 191 scalps in 127 one-day internationals, and 123 victims in 113 T20s.

"I am so grateful for the opportunities and experiences I have had," she said. "As any athlete knows, training and competing at your best requires much sacrifice and dedication. I now find myself wanting to spend more time with my family, particularly my siblings, and parents."

"I have loved being able to compete at the highest level and I am so proud of being able to be part of a wonderful group of players who have led the way for women in cricket. The memories I have will stay with me forever."

"As I step into this new stage of my life, I am excited to explore new opportunities and spend more time with those I love. However, cricket will always hold a special place in my heart, and I will continue to be a proud ambassador for the sport in South Africa."

Recently the World Test Championship 2023-25 cycle ended. The final match of which was won by South Africa. South Africa was successful in winning its first ICC trophy after 27 years after defeating Australia. But amidst all this, former South African captain AB de Villiers has raised questions on the WTC format and has demanded several reforms from the International Cricket Council (ICC).

Also Read: Winners list of last 10 ICC Tournaments (men's)

De Villiers raised questions on the WTC format

AB de Villiers has strongly advocated making the World Test Championship schedule more fair and consistent for all Test playing nations. De Villiers, 41, has suggested a four-year cycle like the ODI World Cup, instead of the current two-year cycle, to ensure every team can compete against other Test-playing sides.

Speaking to BBC Sport, AB de Villiers expressed his disappointment. He said, “We’ve had some very disappointing and sad ends to a lot of campaigns, especially the World Cups, but now it’s time to start believing that we can do this more often,” 

“[This moment] won’t be lost. It was too big and too special for all South Africans – it was a Test match no one will ever forget. But yes, to a certain extent, something needs to be done.”

De Villiers advocates making WTC a balanced system

AB de Villiers further elaborated during this interaction, “I saw the schedule that came out for the next cycle of the WTC and there is an improvement, but I still feel there’s work that needs to be done there to just to get it as consistent as possible and as fair as possible for all for all Test-playing nations.”

“You want to get to that final feeling like you’ve played against all these nations,” De Villiers added. “Maybe a four-year cycle would be nice. We’ve done that in the past with one-day internationals, so why not in Test cricket? It would make sense and it would give the organisers just so much more time to get a really fair, well-balanced system out there.”

De Villiers believes a longer cycle will allow teams to play a sufficient number of matches, making a team's journey to the final more credible.

Also Read: Best figures in ICC WTC Final

South Africa played least number of Test matches in WTC 2023-25

De Villiers' comments come at a time when the Proteas have played the least number of Test matches (12) among the nine teams during the World Test Championship 2023-25 cycle. The number was a full 10 matches less than England's 22, while Australia, who face South Africa, played 19 matches during the World Test Championship 2023-25 cycle.

Indian star opener Smriti Mandhana has regained the number one spot in the women's ICC ODI rankings for the first time since November 2019, according to the latest update released by the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Tuesday.

Also Read: ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025 Full Schedule announced; India to face Pakistan on October 5

Mandhana surpassed Wolvaardt to claim top spot

The 28-year-old Mandhana has moved up one place to return to the top spot while South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt has slipped to joint second place with new England skipper Nat Sciver-Brunt after scoring 27 and 28 in the first two ODIs against the West Indies.

Mandhana now sits comfortably with 727 rating points after Wolvaardt held the top spot for over six months. The Indian star batsman has been in great form lately and scored the 11th century of her career, amassing 264 runs across five outings with a 52.80 averae and a strike rate of 90.41 during India's recent tri-series final against Sri Lanka and South Africa in Colombo.

Mandhana named ICC Women’s ODI Cricketer of the Year

The India vice-captain had a stellar run in ODIs in 2024, following which she was named as the ICC Women’s ODI Cricketer of the Year, scoring more runs than she ever has before in a calendar year, racking up 747 runs in 13 innings. Mandhana is one of only four women to record at least 10 centuries, with her 4473 runs standing 10th on the all-time charts.

Mandhana’s rating points currently eight ahead of newly-appointed England skipper Natalie Sciver-Brunt at 719 points. Wolvaardt dropped to equal second alongside Sciver-Brunt, while fellow South African’s Tazmin Brits (up five spots to 27th) and Sune Luus (up seven places to 42nd) are among the big movers this week on the list for ODI batters.

Jemimah Rodrigues and captain Harmanpreet Kaur, being the only other Indian batters in the top 30, placed at 15th and 16th, respectively.

Women's ICC ODI Rankings

The schedule of the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025 has been released. The Women's World Cup will begin on September 30 with hosts India playing their first match against Sri Lanka at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.

Also Read: BCCI announce Indian women's squad for ODI and T20I series against England

The eight-team tournament will be a round-robin format with the top four teams advancing to the semi-finals. The much-awaited final will be played on November 2. Australia will begin their campaign against New Zealand on October 1 at the Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore.

India vs Pakistan Match details

Due to tension between India and Pakistan, Pakistan will play all its matches in Colombo, Sri Lanka under the hybrid hosting model agreed upon by BCCI and PCB. In such a situation, the teams playing with Pakistan including India will go to Colombo, which is a neutral venue.

The most awaited match of the group stage between India and Pakistan will be played on 5th October in Colombo.

Women's Cricket World Cup 2025: Venues

• India : Bengaluru, Guwahati, Indore, Visakhapatnam 
• Sri Lanka : Colombo

The tournament will be held at five major venues in the two countries. Bengaluru and Colombo have been shortlisted as potential hosts for the final.

Women's Cricket World Cup 2025: Full Schedule

Australia's star fast bowler Mitchell Starc added a big achievement to his name on Wednesday by becoming the bowler to take the most wickets in ICC tournament finals. Starc achieved this feat by taking two wickets on the first day of the World Test Championship 2025 final against South Africa at Lord's. Starc, playing his fifth ICC final, has taken 11 wickets so far and is expected to increase it.

Also Read: Highest wicket-takers in WTC 2023-25

With this, Starc also broke the record of Indian fast bowler Mohammed Shami as soon as he took the second wicket. This record was earlier in the name of Shami, who had taken 10 wickets in four ICC finals.

So, let's take a look at the bowlers with most wickets in ICC tournament finals.

Most Wickets in ICC Tournament Finals

6. Glenn McGrath | 8 Wickets

The former legendary Australia pacer Glenn McGrath featured in a total of 5 ICC finals for the Baggy Greens and took 8 Wickets for his team. McGrath was one of Australia’s most important players for several years and he always stepped-up big time in finals of major tournaments.

McGrath was the second-highest wicket-taker in the 2002 edition of the ICC tournament with 8 wickets in 3 matches after Muttaih Muralidharan who has claimed 10 wickets in as many games.

5. Kyle Jamieson | 8 Wickets

New Zealand fast bowler Kyle Jamieson also took 8 Wickets in the ICC tournament finals after appearing in 3 innings. In the 2019–2021 World Test Championship Final, Jamieson was named as the man of the match, after taking seven wickets, including a five-wicket haul in the first innings.

4. Ravindra Jadeja | 8 Wickets

Ravindra Jadeja comes fourth on this list. Jadeja’s evolution from a utility player to a match-winner is reflected in his 8 ICC final appearances. In his 8 finals, Jadeja dismissed 8 players in ICC tournament finals.

His all-round prowess was key to India’s Champions Trophy triumph in 2013, where he was the leading wicket-taker. He has since played vital roles in T20 World Cup finals and two successive WTC finals (2021, 2023), as well as the 2025 Champions Trophy. 

3. Trent Boult | 8 Wickets

New Zealand's veteran pacer Trent Boult is true to the 'big-match player' tag with 8 wickets in his 4 ICC Finals. Boult played a massive role in the Kiwis' success in ICC tournaments and gave brilliant bowling performances in the finals as well.

Boult was also the joint leading wicket taker at the 2015 Cricket World Cup. In 2018, he became the third bowler for New Zealand to take a hat-trick in ODIs.

2. Mohammed Shami | 10 Wickets

India's star bowler Mohammed Shami now comes second in this list. In four ICC finals, Shami has taken 10 wickets at an average of 38.90, an economy rate of 3.95 and best bowling figures of 4/76 in the WTC final 2021 against New Zealand.

Shami is also the leading wicket-taker among Indian bowlers in ODI World Cups and also led all bowlers in the 2023 edition with 24 wickets in seven outings. He continued his magical run in ICC events with a five-wicket haul in his maiden Champions Trophy game (ongoing contest against Bangladesh).

Also Read: Most Runs in WTC 2023-25

1. Mitchell Starc | 11* Wickets

Australia's pace ace Mitchell Starc has became the highest wicket-taker in ICC tournament finals. The left-arm quick achieved the milestone during the World Test Championship (WTC) final against South Africa at Lord's. Starc, playing in his fifth ICC final, has now taken 11 wickets across tournament deciders.

The milestone came in style as Starc struck early in South Africa's second innings, cleaning up Aiden Markram for a duck. He followed it up with the dismissal of Ryan Rickelton for 16, ending Day 1 with figures of 2/10 in a fiery spell.

He also became the joint second-highest wicket taker in ICC knockout games. He is sharing the spot with former Aussie legend Glenn McGrath and Mohammed Shami, who each have taken 22 wickets. The top spot is with former Sri Lankan great Muttiah Muralitharan, who has 23 wickets.

Till now, 11 Indian cricketers have been inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame. Former Indian captain and legend MS Dhoni became the latest Indian to be inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame list. 

Read Also | India's 2011 World Cup winning squad: Where are they now?

Along with MS Dhoni, Aussie great Matthew Hayden, South African legend Hashim Amla, former South African captain Graeme Smith, former Kiwi leader Daniel Vettori, and former Pakistan captain Sana Mir and English legend Sarah Taylor were also inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame 2025.

Unorthodox, unconventional and effective 🙌

A cricketer beyond numbers and statistics 👏

MS Dhoni is inducted in the ICC Hall of Fame 🥇

More ➡️ https://t.co/oV8mFaBfze pic.twitter.com/AGRzL0aP79

— ICC (@ICC) June 9, 2025

Here are the Indian cricketers who have been inducted into the prestigious "ICC Hall of Fame". 

Indian Cricketers in the ICC Hall of Fame